Crush
by GellsBells
Summary: ONE SHOT - Betty decides to bring Jughead lunch during the summer break while he is working on the Andrews construction site, she is defended against some lewd behaviour by the other workers by FP and has an unexpected reaction. Jughead notices and becomes jealous. Veronica tries to convince him that he has nothing to worry about.


"Hey Mr Andrews." Betty said excitedly as she pulled her car up to the construction site. She had decided that she would stay in Riverdale over the summer. After the drama that had happened over the school term, spending time with her family and her new niece and nephew sounded like the perfect way to spend summer. And well there was also Jughead. They had caught up at the end of most days at Pop's each with a vanilla milkshake, the classic, as he would say, as he told her stories of what had happened at the construction site while she told him everything that Eliza and Jason Jnr were doing now as well as the million photos that she had captured on her phone. Flicking excitedly through each one.

Today though she had decided that she would surprise him by bringing him lunch from Pop's of course and they could share. She had managed to convince her mum to give her some time away from the register to come out despite a deadline looming over their heads. She could swear her mum had a soft spot for Jughead.

"I brought Jughead some lunch, is he here?" She asked as Fred approached her from the foreman's office.

"Him and Archie have just gone to pick up a delivery, should be back in about 5 mins." He assured her as he saw the disappointment cross her face that he was not here for her surprise.

"Okay, I'll just wait." She smiled brightly, clutching the paper bag in her hand.

"You can wait in the office if you like." Fred offered, but she shook her head.

"I'll wait out here, enjoy the sunshine." Enjoying the feeling of being outside instead of at home with Polly or at the register with her mum.

"Okay. Just put this on for me." He handed her a spare hard hat from the wall of the office. "Just in case." She took the hard hat from him placing it on her head, before walking away to try and find somewhere comfortable to bask in the sun. The sun hit her eyes and she was grateful for the shielding that the hard hat provided.

She walked around the construction site as she examined the work men around, she had always admired how so much could be built out of nothing.

"Hey girlie." She spun in the direction of the voice to see two of the workers, needling each other as the eyed her up and down. She suddenly felt subconscious in her shorts and singlet. "Did you bring me something sweet?" He called from his position his fellow workman obviously encouraging him. She hmmphed and walked away from them, thinking that perhaps she should retreat into the safety of the office.

"Leave her alone." A familiar voice barked back at the two workers who were now chuckling to each other, but stopped when they heard him. "That's my son's girlfriend, show some damn respect." She turned to thank him when she stopped, at a loss for words.

She felt a heat creeping up her body from the pit of her stomach to her cheeks and she knew instantly that she was blushing. She knew Jughead's dad was handsome she wasn't blind but seemed that all the Jones men had a thing for hiding their bodies under numerous layers of clothing. Her eyes were drawn to his arms, lean muscle, broad shoulders, his white vest wet with sweat which she imagined was quite common when completing manual labour under the blistering sun.

"You okay Betty?" He asked noticing that she was just standing there staring. "Those guys are being jerks I wouldn't take any notice of them." He shook his head. Muttering something under his breath which she didn't quite manage to catch as her eyes had now moved to the open neck of the vest and the hint of chest hair. He just looked so … capable.

"Betts." Jughead's voice calling out from the distance seemed to momentarily snap her out of her thoughts and bring some sense back to her as she swung her head around to see Jughead getting out of Fred's truck with Archie following closely behind.

"I brought you lunch." She replied lamely holding up the paper bag for proof that that was her true purpose for being here and not that she was here to oogle his dad.

"Thanks." He said eagerly as he took the bag. She was still staring. She knew she should stop, her boyfriend was next to her calling her name and she eventually turned towards him. "Sorry Jug, I was …" She paused searching for what she could say. "Distracted." She settled on and he looked from her to his dad, and noticed that she was biting her bottom lip, her cheeks were flushed and she was twirling the end of her ponytail. He knew the signs of Betty being aroused they had spent long enough around each other, exploring each other that he knew. He felt a pang of jealousy hit him as he looked toward his dad who seemed completely oblivious to the entire interaction, as was Archie.

"I should head back to the register." She said her words mumbling. "You know what my mum's like." She explained giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, as she walked back to her car, ponytail swinging from side to side. Feeling the need to escape, remove herself from the situation before she could embarrass herself any further.

He didn't enjoy his lunch at all.

*

He was sitting at the regular booth at Pop's with Archie and Veronica. Betty was going to join them but had once again gotten stuck in editing with her mum, Alice, the register was the Cooper's passion and legacy and it each issue and article was going to be perfect even if it killed Alice Cooper. But he couldn't help but feel that maybe she had wanted to avoid him this afternoon after that moment at the construction site.

"What's got you so down?" Veronica asked him as she noticed the half eaten food in front of him, a strawberry milkshake barely touched. He glanced over to Archie's girlfriend, debating whether he was going to tell her. He had wanted to confide in Archie but they had been worked hard that afternoon and then he had wanted to talk through his latest song and by the time they had driven to Pop's Veronica was already there waiting.

"You know you have been kind of absent this afternoon. Since lunch when Betty visited." Archie added as though the pieces of the puzzle were just starting to lock into place for him. Jughead sighed and took a sip of his milkshake before he let it out.

"I think Betty finds my dad hot." Archie tried to stifle his laughter but couldn't help himself as he almost snorted milkshake out his nose while Veronica gave him a pointed look and Jughead pulled his beanie over his eyes and held his head in his hands wishing he could take it back.

"Look Jughead." Veronica started matter of fact. Pulling his hands away from his face ignoring a still giggling like a school girl Archie next to her. "Your dad is hot." Archie stopped his giggle at these words spinning around to look at Veronica in horror sure that he had misheard her.

"What?" Archie choked out when he had gotten back control of his mouth.

"Jughead's dad is hot." She stated again. "He gives off 'daddy' vibes." She explained air quoting the word daddy, before taking a long sip of her milkshake. "Like he knows what to do, you know." Archie continued to stare at his girlfriend.

"You haven't said anything before." He choked out.

"Look Archie, it's just an observation, it's not like I'm going to do anything about it. But he's hot and you can't blame a girl for looking." She took a sip of her milkshake.

"Veronica you can stop saying my dad is hot any time you like." Jughead added to the conversation.

"I'm not the only one who thinks so." She defended herself trying to point out to them that this was not some random observation. She spun around in the booth and eyed Cheryl speaking to Ginger and Tina. She waved at them, and they eyed her suspiciously before she beckoned them over to the booth where they were sitting. She was sure Cheryl was rolling her eyes before she and her two minions made their way over to them.

"Can we help you Veronica?" Cheryl asked her tone disinterested.

"Jughead's dad is hot right?" Veronica said as always direct and to the point.

"Oh I would swipe 'right' for sure. " Cheryl said unabashedly and Jughead groaned returning to his head to his hands.

"I saw him once." Ginger started. "At that bar on the Southside, in a white vest and a leather jacket, he was arguing with some of the other guys there and he looked at me and I just.." Ginger then sighed wistfully, her hand holding onto the booth, just behind Archie's head.

"Thanks. That was all." Veronica said and the group of three stalked back to their table, Ginger still looking a little away with herself.

"What was that in aid of exactly Veronica?" Jughead asked, peeking from over his hands. "Besides letting me know that apparently the whole female population of Riverdale has the hots for my dad?"

"I'm just pointing out that if Betty does find him attractive so what? We all find people attractive all the time it doesn't mean that we love them or are going to go any further than having a reaction to them."

"But…" He tried to argue but knew that he didn't have a leg to stand on. He knew a fight over this was silly. This was them, Betty and Jughead, they had overcome much more in the past year then a school girl crush.

"Talk to Betty, don't let something so silly ruin what you guys have going." He turned to look at Archie who seemed to have picked his jaw up off the floor.

"Talk to her man. Apparently according to Veronica no-one is immune to your dad." She gave him a playful swat on the arm and he laughed. "Although now I know why Veronica is always visiting her mum at the construction site." He said his tone full of humour and she merely rolled her eyes at him.

*

He had sent her a text under Veronica's ever watchful eye. He swore sometimes that Veronica was like their own little cupid, making sure that nothing was going to get in the way of her 'ship' as she called them.

His phone had chimed immediately with a response from her, that she would meet him at his trailer, once she managed to escape her mum. He sighed wishing that he wasn't jealous, but was glad that tonight was a night that his dad had decided to go over to Fred Andrews for a 'jam' session, also happy that the two old friends had reconnected.

He was broken away from his thoughts by a sharp knock on the door and glanced again at his father's closet deliberating whether he was going to do it. Before letting out a frustrating sigh taking the item before heading towards the door.

He opened it to find Betty waiting patiently, hair in a high bun, and her trench coat tied tightly around her keeping her warm. She smiled gently at him as he opened the door wider for her to enter.

"Juggie." She started her voice already soothing. He thought about what an idiot he had been, that green snake of jealousy had risen it's ugly head again just as it had with Archie at his birthday party. And he could already tell that she was getting ready to apologise to him again for his own insecurities and doubts.

"Betty." He interrupted. "I know, and Veronica explained things." She blushed.

"I don't know what came over me, I just, I didn't mean anything by it. Just." She looked up at him, embarrassment all over her face.

"It's okay Betty apparently my dad is hot." She let out a laugh.

"Ronnie told you that huh?"

"Ronnie and Cheryl, and later Hermione over the phone just for extra confirmation at Ronnie's request. Hey if we call your mum now she will probably agree." He said throwing up his hands in mock surrender. That was when she finally noticed his clothes, or more specifically the leather jacket that he was wearing despite the warm temperature of the trailer. Now that her self doubt and guilt had been alleviated she wondered how she had not noticed it before. It looked so heavy, warm slung over his shoulders and she felt a heat run through her, not too dissimilar to what she had felt at the construction site.

"What are you wearing Juggie?" She asked, taking a step towards him bring her hand up to feel the material beneath her fingertips.

"It seems silly now, but I thought maybe…" He paused as she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, before trailing her kisses down his neck.

"I like it." She admitted to him, using the lapels as leverage to pull herself up and lock her lips on his, a teasing kiss, a promise of what was to come. She ran her hand under the jacket, feeling the thin material of his white construction vest underneath. She could feel taut muscles and the heat of him, as she wrapped her arms around him, her cheek falling to his chest and breathing in his scent.

"Juggie, you never need to doubt my love for you." She said quietly, feeling his heart beat quicken underneath her ear. "Even if your dad is a total DILF." She said smirking.

He let out a low growl at this and pulled her up for another kiss, claiming her mouth and stifling her laugh, as his tongue massaged and teased her own.

"Bedroom now." He let out. His hands already starting to undo the buttons on her trench coat.

"Okay, daddy." She said with a quirk of her eyebrows.


End file.
